I’m happy to share with you something we’ve been cooking up the past year. It’s called FREEDOM ACADEMY.

I answered 9 questions below…

1. “What is Freedom Academy?”

Freedom Academy is a progressive high school program under Catholic Filipino Academy aimed at giving young creatives opportunities to grow in their craft so that they impact the world for the better.

It’s a small community of young artists and entrepreneurs who are passionate about what they do and, just like Catholic Filipino Academy, are committed to holistic wellbeing. Holistic wellbeing is growing not only academically or intellectually, but in every important area of life, such as in their relationships, spiritual life, financial life, physical health, and so on.

2. “Who Is This School For?”

Freedom Academy is not for everyone.  It’s not for those that want to be Lawyers, or Accountants, or Doctors, or Nurses, or Architects.  All these disciplines require them to pass a government-regulated Board Exam.

Freedom Academy is for young people who want to become artists and entrepreneurs.  They want to become storytellers, theater actors, musicians, singers, illustrators, cooks, athletes, fashion designers, vloggers, and all sorts of entrepreneurs who want to run their own businesses.  For these young people, a college degree will be very helpful, but it may not be as important for their success as the first group above.

Young creatives wants to give their gift as their service to humanity.  It sounds pleasant and pretty to be that kind of person, but believe me, it’s difficult. That’s why there’s Freedom Academy. Its purpose is to help young creatives with a community that supports each other, a place where they can learn and excel at what they love to do.

3. “How Did It Start?”

The seeds started in 2012.  My eldest son, Bene, who studied in Catholic Filipino Academy Homeschool all his life, entered into our High School.  And watching the young guy’s passion and gifts and personality, my wife and I sensed in our hearts that he needed something else.  With Marowe’s support, I talked to him and said, “Bene, do you want to homeschool in a different way?”

He was all ears.  I said, “I’ll be your mentor.  We’ll not focus too much on regular subjects, such as science, or math, or Pilipino, but we’ll work on Life Skills.  Let’s read the most amazing books together and discuss about it.  By talking about each book, you’ll grow in speaking and communication.  And I know you can write well, so let’s work on that skill.  You can write a Blog and even write a Book.  I know you have other passions, so let’s explore them.  I really don’t know how it will look like in the end, but we’ll discover things along the way.”  It was a huge experiment.

He liked my idea and so we dove in.  It was wild.  There were days when he just kept meandering, dipping his foot in one thing and trying something else the next week.  During those days, I wondered, “Hmm, did I make the right decision to do this?”

But there were days when it was phenomenal. 

By 13 years old, he was able to write a fiction book, all edited, illustrated, layouted, and ready for printing.  But we never published it because it was supposed to be the first book of a trilogy, and along the way, his interests changed, and he wanted to do something else.  But even if it wasn’t published, from my perspective, it wasn’t a failure.  In this kind of training, we follow the principle, “the process is the destination”.  Because he learned so much along the way.

Because Bene joined the youth ministry, soon, he developed a huge passion for playing the guitar, the drums, and the keyboard.  He also learned musical arrangement, recording, and song writing.  And he learned all that through YouTube for free.  To my surprise, in the following years, Bene was hired by well-known composers who wanted him to arrange and record their songs.

Speaking of youth ministry, I saw it as a crucial part of his education.  Because he kept serving God, he grew in important Life Skills, such as “how to take personal responsibility”, “how to lead,” “how to collaborate with a team”, and “how to bounce back from failure”.   (Note: This too was my background.  I failed in school, but I was “homeschooled” in my ministry work, which started when I was 13 years old.)

I also encouraged him to learn more about graphic design, how to create websites, and online marketing—and he used all those skills for his youth work.

Another surprise.  When he was 16, Bene developed a passion for specialty coffee.  Through friends, he got free Barista training and worked as a Barista for two years.  Working in a Makati coffeeshop and donning a blue apron for two days a week was great education too.  He learned how to follow a Boss (that wasn’t his Dad), talk to customers, and serve with a smile.  

Fast forward today, Bene is taking up post-graduate Theology courses in Loyola School of Theology.  As the years went by, he realized that more than his love for music or coffee, his real passion was Scriptures.  He loves learning about it and sharing it to other young people.

Let me now shift to my youngest son, Francis.

In 2019, when he turned 14, I asked Francis if he wanted to have the same High School experience his older brother had.  He said, “Yes Dad, but can we get a bunch of other students with me?  What if we learn together?  Collaborate?”

I said, “Sure!  Can you help me plan for it?”

We brainstormed and created a plan.  He met with possible Mentors and called weekly meetings with them.

And today, we’re here, launching the program for the first time.

4. “So Will There Be Subjects?”

Not in the way we understand Subjects.

In Freedom Academy, we’ll have three broad subjects: Core Subjects, Big Subjects, and Small Subjects.